Meet Cute

AudioBook Review: Stars: Overall 4 Narration 4 Story 4 They called this a romantic comedy to ‘fit’ it into a box: but like much of Hunting’s work, a box is not quite big enough to contain it. Far different and slower paced than others I’ve listened to or read from her, one thing is sure to hold true: characters and their issues will be, after a bit of fluffy introduction, solidly drawn and deceptively complex. And the same holds true for Kailyn and Daxton: first meeting in law school where the two have a meet cute that sets everyone of Kailyn’s teenaged fangirl hormones alight. Daxton was a teen star (think 90210) and while he’d managed to escape that minefield of stardom while remaining a reasonable human being – he’s now struggling with grief and the loss of his parents and the unexpected responsibility of his little sister (just 13) who needs him more than ever. Kailyn is really solid and smart, with none of the ‘fake modesty’ in her skills or brains. Her history of being an adopted child has left her with a strong sense of compassion and the ability to see ‘beyond’ the superficial – and she’s generally good-natured, determined and just geeky enough to be interesting and funny. These two have a fairly solid relationship after the initial awkwardness in the reunite is past, and the trust building between them, the incorporation of Daxton’s little sister Emme, and Kailyn’s management of the teen’s expected angst and questions are lovely and allow us moments to see the trio as a little family. Of course, there has to be a villain in the mix – and her OTT interference was pretty obvious and allowed the moment to pass without a total breakdown in the budding relationship. But seriously people…. C O M M U N I C A T I O N – it’s kind of necessary in a relationship. Narration for this story is provided by Holly Warren and Aaron Sin - and most of Hunting’s books are narrated with couples – each taking the feminine or masculine voices and points of view. What works here is the sense that the characters of Kailyn and Daxton are as voiced, allowing for the emotions, complexities and connection in their relationship to be portrayed. There was no overreach to ‘steer’ listeners toward any particular emotion, nor were there particular ‘leading’ moments into moments of impact. Even with a fairly predictable plot that didn’t contain any great twists or surprises, the story was engaging and felt plausible when one discounted the often ‘Keystone Cops-like’ moments of planned disruption. Solidly presenting the ‘cuteness’ that I love from Hunting’s stories while still holding my attention and providing a lovely epilogue for a ‘where are they now’ moment with the three – the story was well worth the listen. I received an AudioBook copy of the title from Hachette Audio for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Cutest little novel for a weekend or beach read. Can't help but love the lead characters, love the book it told from both male and female perspectives. This would make a perfect romantic comedy movie. Now which production house is smart enough to buy the rights? Off to buy the other 2 books from this author.